Monmouth Hawks (36-17) – 0
#10 LSU Tigers (41-16) – 2
 
BATON ROUGE, LA –  Despite another solid outing from sophomore pitcher Alyssa Irons and three hits from junior Amanda Hopeck, the Monmouth University softball team was edged by #10 LSU during the opening round of the NCAA Regionals, 2-0. Irons tossed six full innings, giving up just five hits and two runs in the loss. Hopeck went 3-for-3 with three singles on the day, bumping her season average up to .265. The Tigers scored on an RBI single in the fourth inning and a solo home run in the fifth. In the top of the sixth, the Hawks put runners on first and second with two outs. Junior Amber Wozniak singled to left field, but senior Jasmine Higa was narrowly thrown out at home to end the inning. Monmouth falls to 36-17 overall on the season, and will face Louisiana Tech tomorrow in an elimination game.
 
NOTES AND QUOTES
 
"I was very pleased with how we played. I was excited to see our team come out and simply play as themselves. This is our second time here, and we felt a little more comfortable. LSU is one heck of a team. To hang in there, make plays, and put the ball in play, I couldn't be more proud of our crew. We look forward to getting back after it tomorrow." - Monmouth head coach Shannon Salsburg
 
-Irons put down the Tigers in order in the bottom of the first, getting two strikeouts and a groundout.
-Monmouth registered the first hit of the game in the top of the second as Hopeck singled to left center. She was stranded after a groundout and popup.
-In the bottom of the third, sophomore Katie Harrington made a running catch in foul territory to end the inning.
-Junior Sam Tomasetti led off the top of the fourth with a line drive to left field, but LSU made a diving catch for the first out.
-Hopeck hit her second single of the game to lead off the top of the fifth, and advanced to second on a throwing error. LSU tried to double her up after a Harrington pop up. Coreth and Jimenez both popped up to end the inning.
-With one out in the bottom of the fifth, LSU's Amber Serrett hit a solo home run to right center to make it 2-0.
-Freshman Danielle Dominik came in to pinch hit in the top of the sixth, and drew a walk. Higa came back in to run for her, and was bumped to second on a single from Rosado.  
-Wozniak singled to left field, but Higa was thrown out at home for the third out.
-The Tigers put runners on second and third with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. Included in the inning was a single and a throwing error, but Irons got out of the jam with a pop up.
-On Monmouth's last chance in the top of the seventh, Hopeck led off with her third single of the game. Three straight outs ended the game after the hit.
 
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Irons is now 30-11 on the season with a 1.49 ERA. In 36 starts, she has 34 complete games. Irons has struck out 227 batters in 263.1 innings pitched.
-For a single season, Irons ranks first in program history for wins (30), first with 36 starts, first with 263.1 innings pitched, and second with 227 strikeouts. 
-Hopeck registered three hits in a game for the second time this season.
-Each team had five hits in the contest.
-Monmouth played in front of its largest crowd of the season, with an attendance of 1,486.
-In three career NCAA Tournament games, Rosado is 3-6 with two walks.
 
UP NEXT
Monmouth will face Louisiana Tech in an elimination game tomorrow at 4:30 PM EST. The winner will play again tomorrow at 7:00 PM EST.